Interview with a long-term trainee in Japan (PhD course in Osaka University)

One of Vietnamese pharmacology researchers from National Institute of Nutrition(NIN), Hanoi, has been taking PhD course at Osaka University in Japan since April 2014. Mr. Nguyen Van Sy reports his daily study in Japan as follows.

Mr. Sy working at laboratory of Osaka University

Q1. How about your life in Japan? Please introduce your daily life in Osaka.

A1. "My life in Japan is OK, I have received many supports from JICA and the Project members in Japan, especially from Prof. Hirata and Dr. Harada of Osaka University. I usually go to school around 9:15-9:30 AM and conduct the experiments relating to my thesis. I have breakfast at my home and lunch at the cafeteria with lab mates. After finishing my work at the laboratory, I go home and cook meal for dinner. I go to bed around 12 AM."

Q2. What is your goal of your research? What do you mainly do every day in the laboratory?

A2. "My goal is to develop a new method for determination of penicillin residues in meat material by HPLC with fluorescence detection. For successful development of an analytical method, we must optimize some conditions such as extraction sample, derivatization and HPLC conditions so that we can design and do many experiments. After each experiment, I present my results to Dr. Harada and he usually gives me some useful comments and then I will make the next experiments."

Q3. Up to now, are there any research outcomes?

A3. "I have had some good results but it is not enough for poster or oral presentation yet. I hope that my research will be successful soon and publish in an international scientific journal."

Q4. After finishing the PhD, what do you want to do in Vietnam, at NIN ?

A4. "After finishing the Ph.D course at Osaka University, I will be back to Vietnam and working at NIN as a researcher. I will apply the knowledge learning and studying in Japan to continue, maintain and develop the scientific achievements of this SATREPS project, especially contributing to the monitoring antibiotics residues in foods."

Message from a collaborative researcher, Dr. Harada Kazuo, Osaka University

"Mr. Sy is studying on an analytical method for monitoring beta-lactam antibiotics based on HPLC-FL. He always evaluates many parameters in sample preparations and HPLC methods in detail. He is working from early morning to late night and also in holidays. I really honor his greatly efforts and motivations. He just starts preparing a first paper and the presentation held on this September for doctor course duty in our department. I am sure that he will achieve successes. Every Japanese student working with him also feels so. He is liked by them. (Actually, the age of his son is near to my daughter. I think that he is missing his son. But it is no doubt that his son respects him.) I also believe that he will be a pioneer in analytical chemistry and food safety in Vietnam in the future. Kazuo HARADA"

Progress report by Mr. Sy and Dr. Harada from Osaka University to NIN via Web Meeting